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Substance use and disabilities: experiences of adults' social care professionals and the implications for education and training

  • Cherilyn Dance
    ,
  • Sarah Galvani
Research Output:
Contribution to journal
Article
 Peer-review

Abstract

This paper draws on data from a national survey of social workers and social care practitioners in England undertaken in 2010–2011. It focuses on practitioners working in services for adults with either learning or physical disabilities and, in particular, their experiences of responding to alcohol and other drug use among their service users. Based on secondary analysis of survey and focus group data from the earlier study, the paper outlines the extent to which workers in these areas of practice encounter alcohol and drug problems and discusses the key challenges this poses for them. The findings show that between 4% and 10% of adults' practitioners' service users have alcohol and drug problems depending on the nature of the disability. Regardless of the type of disability, practitioners reported difficulties in talking about substance use with their service users as well as identifying tensions around life-style choice and risk management. They also reported the need for education and training in a number of areas. Social work education and subsequent training in working with substance use problems needs to be available to adults' practitioners and it needs to address the specific issues and needs in different areas of social work practice.

Publication Information

Output type

Research Output:
Contribution to journal
Article
 Peer-review

Original language

English

Pages from-to (Number of pages)

Pages 670-684

Journal (Volume, Issue Number)

Social Work Education (Volume 33, Issue 5)

Publication milestones

  • Published - 18/06/2014

Publication status

Published - 18/06/2014

ISSN

0261-5479

Publication IDs

  • handle.net: 10547/332358
  • Scopus: 84903881669

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